How many of the last year’s homicides were innocent people? Each time we see in the media that famous line “…known to police.” Heck, consider it pest control. Let them pick each other off… just don’t waste time reporting it. I’m tired of hearing about all these gangsters shooting each other up. Hell, that’s all they know how to do. —Law Abiding
This article appears in Apr 7-13, 2011.
Or you could just not read/watch/listen to it.
Guns are God’s way of weeding out the stupid.
Those people will never end up weeding each other out. They don’t know how to use a firearm. I usally read that 5 shots were fired and he was hit in the leg. That is a pretty terrible aim. Maybe they should hang around the range for a bit and learn to use a firearm
You have to admit they’re getting better. Seems like more are getting killed & less are wounded lately.
Saves us from having the expense of locking them up, feeding them etc. for 10 or more years !
Great….now this is stuck in my head…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTRO3cSFUcE
The VAST majority of violent crime isn’t “random.” Take a basic criminology course and you’ll learn that shit. And actually, the ‘crime rate’ is going down and/or stablizing for the most part.
Most people who have a violent crime commited against them know their attackers. Especially when it comes to murders/attempted murders.
It just… bugs me so much how the media sensationalizes this crap and creates a culture of fear. I know not any idiot can analyze the stats, but it should be pretty clear to most of us who have half a brain.
wow you people are fucking sick in the head. as if you believe people should be exterminated.
It drives me nuts too, Pk. And it’s not just the news who feeds that culture of fear; I hate those stupid shows like Law& Order SVU and CSI…they make people like my mum think I’ll be raped and my baby kidnapped if I walk through a sunny downtown cemetary, as she once threatened me! I don’t usually have a problem with buying into that stuff but last wknd I was alone in my house when my husband took our child away for the wknd. Up to then it was always me who went somewhere to get a break…so this was the 1st time I was completely alone in years; before having a baby I had my dog for 10 years. So I laid in bed with my bedroom door wdged shut by the crib and thought about the creepy guy who passed me on the sidewalk the other day and raised the hairs on the back of my neck…that and the 2 recent unsolved attacks on petite brunette females here in Ontario; one of them fatal bc she was dismembered in her bed and dumped on a country road. I didn’t sleep! In the day I’m not bothered but all that shit in the media sometimes comes flooding into my brain when I’m laying in bed trying to sleep, and shittily enough, at 3am I buy into it.
You are fucking SICK, sebastian. I feel sad for those kids, that they were so fucked up, the road they chose actually looked like a good one. What kind of fucking life does a kid have to have in order to choose that?!
My mom can’t even watch those shows when I’m away, Z. Her greatest fear is that I’m not going to come home and she’s never going to see me again.
I feel bad for all victims of crime, regardless, especially murder victims. Unless you’re someone like Paul Bernardo and co., for instance, I don’t believe anyone deserves to be harmed or killed. I especially feel bad for their family who have to deal with a loss (and likely were innocent in this whole thing — remember: everyone is loved by someone!)
HOWEVER, it’s not like the average joe should be all paranoid and not live their lives because they fear getting murdered or violently attacked. If you ARE going to be murdered or violently attacked, statistically, you have more of a chance of a family member, or friend or someone who is known to you doing it than you do from a random stranger.
A life lived in fear is no life lived at all.
Ok I’m in the mood to rant! My mom’s the same way PK! I spent 6 months in a country known to be somewhat dangerous, and only now that I’m a mom myself can I understand what she went through. BUT she is afraid of everything; from my feeding my baby genetically enhanced blueberries, to unrolling the car window in traffic (“those exhaust fumes!!”) To me and my child being butchered by the mailman, who happens to look grumpy a certain day. She drives me bonkers because she expects me to take her perspective of the world; that death and cancer lurk around every corner. Ok, that was a rant because we just had an argument about my not giving my child baby tylenol at the first sign of fever, which he now has.
http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.…
My mom hasn’t actually cut the cord yet, Z. My cousin is planning on moving from Toronto to Israel in a few years and obviously I’m going to visit (we’re like sisters), and my mom is all up in arms about it. She even gets pissy when I walk from my building to the CGC to work out at dusk or later and it’s LITERALLY a 3 minute walk. If that. From my door to their door. And up until i was like 23 and moved the eff out, she used to reach for my hand when we crossed the road.
It’s nice that she loves me so much, but my GOD. Let go already, woman! Just a little! I’m pretty much my dad’s little Princess (haha, I have him wrapped around my little finger and he loves me sooooooooooo much), and he’s let go! No reason she can’t either. lol.
Oh, and when I *am* away, she can’t go to bed until she hears from me saying I’m in for the night. *shakes head* — I had to start doing what my dad told me to do: just call her and omit some details. Like my 1am 7/11 visits in Ottawa, or my 4am nights in quebec, or that one night I came home by myself at 1am from one of the clubs on Grand Alee.
My poor mother 🙁
Ahhh Gangstas. The absolute lowest forms of life on the evolutionary scale.
you know something o.p., i don’t give a fuck, about how many of these bums kill each other, or themselves. the more they knock off, the less my tax dollars go to pay for their cishy cells, if they ever get convicted.
let them kill each other, serves them right. the cops can’t do it, so they do themselves in. fine by me.
if you wanna go and play gangsta and sell dope and break the laws, you deserve whatever the hell comes to you.
and speaking of getting what they need and deserve, the smelvins and harriets of the world, should nt get any more media attention, it gives them a glow, to see their names in the news.
don’t bother reporting any more, and just maybe, they’ll go the fuck away, like a whipped dog, with tail tucked betwixt the hind legs.
either that, or let someone take them out, and not bother pressing charges. tada, an easy fix there. my area is relatively dope free, and it better stay that way. i don’t need or want the scum that use or sell that fucking shit around me. and will get rid of them, when i find out who they are. you move, you live another day, you stay, you get a trip to town, maybe in a bag. simple as that.
Instead of being all rah-rah for these ganstas killing each other, why aren’t we looking at ways to help these kids before they even get to the stage of making bad choices? What causes someone to choose a life of crime? Usually escapism, from poverty, from abuse, toxic parenting, from neglect instead of nurture. Until we can find ways to address the core issues, the results will always be the same.
THe biggest problem I see with these assholes, is there’s a good chance those bullets they’re spraying around the neighborhoods will hit some young child who is doing nothing more harmful than playing with friends !
There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children. ~Nelson Mandela
okay people, yes, we should give millions of bucks for drop in centers and shit. so little johnny or jenny can be better peoples. fuck off will you. it didn’t work in the 60’s, 70’s, or any other time.
it just gives these little pieces of shit, more time together, to plan more shit on you all. wake the fuck up, these kids don’t want any help. they just want what you are carrying in your pockets or whatever.
and how young would you start teahing and being nice to them, 2 or 3, that would be the best time.
kids will do whatever the fuck they want to, thanks to that young offenders shit act.
if the law was left alone, not so much of this shit, would be going on now. and yes, mandatory jail time, no kiddie farms, or luxury home style jails.
teach them from the first time they get in shit, you do time, for doing crime. make it hard enoyugh, and just maybe, they might not want to go back.
remember old rockhead city prison, that was one fucking dungeon of a place. i had the misfortune of working there for a few months. what a hell hole that was.you had fuck all, and were glad to get it. you got your meals, after you worked your ass off, all day. you had a t.v. room, for roughly 6 hours daily, with one or two channells and that was it. you got to write a letter, once a week, and got mail in, once a week. you slept in little cells, not hotel rooms, that were about 5 feet wide, by 8 feet long, and two beds to a cell. if you were a dickhead, you got the shit kicked out of you, by your bunkmate. and there were no nice toilets either, just a piss and shit bucket, that you got to empty yourself, every morning, and also wash out.
yeah, life was good back then, very few repeat offenders, and those that did, were usually only the 45 day drunks.
but the real cool part, if you got sentenced to 6 months, then you did 6 months. no days off for this bullshit good behaviour. that is what this country needs again, old fashioned justice, and old fashioned time serving. let’s jimmy and gang try that one on for size. bet he would be someone’s little bitch in a day or two.
These kids come from families with generations of pimps and drug dealers and are encouraged to break the law and be violent from a young age. They are taught not to respect the law or others. I still don’t know why swarmings aren’t regarded as hate crimes but that’s a hole other issue. I feel discouraged and hopeless for them too but I think we’re beyond rehabilitation and nurturing in this city. Keep’em in jail until they’re too old to want to or be able to reproduce. Break the cycle. If you have a better idea that you truly believe will be effective in less than 50 years I’m all ears.
More, is bang on. I dont’ give a rats ass if these tools want to kill each other off but some innocent child or adult is going to be at the wrong place wrong time and get shot and maybe killed.
This is why I hate black and white thinking. “Known to police = guilty = deserves to die = not worth a minute of media attention in death. That’s pretty much OP’s position in a nutshell.
Aside from all the blanket premises that are shaky at best (‘known to police’ can mean petty theft, is that deserving of death?) it’s completely void of logic, not to mention humanity.
Saying “Just let them shoot each other up to take them off our hands” Is probably the most anti-productive, apathetic, unrealistic, and ineffective opinion anyone can have on crime. It has absolutely no practical value and contributes nothing to solving the problem. It means nothing.
Can you imagine what it would be like if law enforcement was based on this attitude? If they refused to investigate all the deaths of people just because they were “known” to them? Or even what it would be like if the media decided only cover stories about people they deemed morally sound… who the fuck makes those decisions and based on what? You OP? Based on your own morals and ethical opinions? Certainly not based on investigation, as that won’t be necessary if we just let them shoot each other up and say good-riddance.
Welcome to dystopia!
Im as liberal as the next man, but what people need to realize is that police have a shitty track record of solving murders. Look it up, less than half are solved. So if our justice system isn’t effective in getting murderers off the street, the only alternative that comes to mind is vigilante justice. If something were to happen to a close friend or family member I wouldn’t even think about calling the cops, I’d go handle it myself. I’m not a criminal or a gangster, sure I use to sag my pants n listen to 2Pac n thought I was tough. I’m grown up now but I still wouldn’t even bother going to the police for anything because unless someone comes forward, which they seldom ever do, they can’t solve the case. It’s like they expect someone to do their jobs for them, it’s bad enough we pay their salary. I knew a guy who got shot in Highfield last year. He was a total piece of shit scumbag who liked to go around assaulting, extorting and basically fucking with people. It is widely believed that he murdered a guy I went to high school with. He assaulted me on not one but 2 occaisions, for absolutely no reason. He assaulted one of my best friends about 7 times, had him scared to leave his house for years. Did he deserve to get shot? Yes, abso-fucking-lutely. It’s a shame he survived. If cops (and our revolving door justice system) can’t clean up our streets, someone has to. Someone fucks with me or mine I am fucking with them. If that makes me a criminal, so be it. All you people can cry “but what made him that way?” all you want, I used to agree with you. Until you’ve been a victim, you probably won’t understand and continue to stick up for those that plague our society.
Newsflash Snoop, that’s exactly the attitude that law enforcement officials have.
Tommy, the police have a great record of solving murders. Now having enough evidence beyond a reasonable doubt is another matter. The Gallant case is typical. They knew who did it but it tooks years to get the evidence for a conviction. In many cases, people will not come forward with evidence. So there is a difference between knowing and proving.
Look it up Bro, it’s less than 50%. That might just be where I live(North End Dartmouth). The cops questioned this guy for the murder and couldn’t charge him. So he should just get to walk around breathing and free while the 22 year old kid he murdered is rotting in a cemetery? Just cuz the cops can’t prove it? Fuck that.
The case you mentioned was for a a professional white woman, not a young kid from a poor family who lives in a community that has been deemed “dangerous” or “criminal” by the police and the media. Yeah, they worked their asses off on that one because it made the news and it scared all the well to do white ppls who show up in big numbers to vote.
His murder got 0 media attention. But let a school teacher get murdered and see how many stories get written.
I personally guarantee you they are not working that hard on my friend Dave’s murder, if at all. Why? Because those of us who live north of Albro Lake road have been de-sensitized to this shit and accept it. Time after time our problems seem like they are less important than those who live on the other side of Woodland Ave and beyond.
They don’t give a fuck about us as far as I’m concerned and that’s based on what I’ve seen and heard with my own eyes and ears.
Again, that dude who got shot deserved to get shot and worse! And he was only on the street because the police, competent and well-meaning as they may have (not) been, couldn’t lock him up. Should we wait until he gives the cops another chance to investigate him? ei. commit another crime, possibly kill someone or ruin their life? Or should we do something about and stand up for ourselves. You tell me.
Like I said Tommy there is a difference between knowing and proving. It doesn’t help when people who know what happens don’t speak up. The problem isn’t the police, it’s you and your community. Fuck someone gets shot and the victim won’t say anything, that really helps too. Instead of looking at the police, look inside. And if you don’t give a fuck who gets killed in your neighbourhood why should anyone else.
Bro, You didn’t answer my question. And for the record people did come forward. Maybe the cops did everything they could but the fact remains a murderer is free on the streets. Should we just accept that? Chalk it up under the “L” columb? No! I say we should do something about it and if that something happens to be street justice, then that’s better than nothing!!
I know the cycle of revenge is an ugly and bloody one, but sometimes it’s the only way to serve justice. I never said I didn’t give a shit, I just meant that we have grown to accept, or been conditioned to accept that our problems just aren’t as important than those with more social power/status. The police/government is not as eager to help us as it is other communities. It didn’t even make the news. It affected many lives. The guy who got murdered, Dave, an aquaintance/friend of mine was like the sweetest guy you could imagine, wouldn’t hurt a fly unless it was to protect those he loved in defense.
“The problem isn’t the police, it’s you and your community” It’s EXACTLY that mentality that creates this environment. Certain communities are criminalized. I live in Highfield and have lived in many of Dartmouth’s more slummy areas and I’m a responsible citizen.
We don’t come forward because when we do all it does it put us at risk and it doesn’t help the police to prosecute the criminal. Again, they don’t give a fuck about us, so why should we respect their process when it doesn’t work for us? Your pompous generalizations is giving me a small perspective on the kind of person you are. Come live in the hood for a while, your perspective might change.
It’s easy to pass judgment on those you don’t know. It’s a lot harder to offer a solution.
“…It doesn’t help when people who know what happens don’t speak up. The problem isn’t the police, it’s you and your community.”
EXAAAACTLY! How many times in the last year have we read that these shitheads that are wounded “won’t cooperate with authorities”. I moved from Franklyn Dr. because I got tired of
A) fearing that my family and I would get assaulted or worse by the punks and gangs traipsing around, untouchable due to our crazy laws; and/or
B) I got sick of the screaming, yelling, and questionable “pops” we kept hearing alllll night.
It is pretty sad when you looked forward to stormy weather and Winter since it kept the riff-raff inside. It is too bad that neighbourhood is so overrun by criminals that people move or become hermits. I don’t know if the cops and media really “don’t give a fuck” as TJ902 asserts; I think it is more a case that if they got help with most of this crap coming out of Pinecrest>>Albro Lake Road, they’d be a lot further ahead, but they’d need a whole section of paper to report. Kennedy Drive is a carbon copy of Pinecrest.
And if the police gunned down the suspect, then you’d be going on about police brutality. The only one with their head in the sand is you and others who won’t do their civic duty. And BTW not coming forward is not just restricted to the “slums”, so don’t try to pull that shit. Stand up, united we stand, divided we fall. Is it easy, hell no but the alternative is worse.
I know them a lot better than you think.
OK, I like debating and all but you’ve yet to answer my question. It’s easy to win an argument when you dodge the tough questions. You just keep saying that we should come forward. WE DID COME FORWARD. Let me repeat people did com forward to volunteer information to the police. They couldn’t prosecute him based on the evidence they had, and it’s not like the Gallant case where they were under so much attention and media pressure to find the killer. I’m quite certain the case quickly went cold.
So you’re saying that if our justice system, which many of us consider soft, can’t put killers in jail we should just accept that?
Yes or no, should we let killers roam the street just because the the authorities can’t prove it? Really? Please do me the respect of answering that with an honest yes or no. Bro, have you ever had someone you know and love taken from you? Say your son, daughter, friend, brother, sister, mother. Would you or would you not do something about it yourself if all legal options are exhausted and you know for a fact your loved one’s killer roams free. People snitch and end up dead, and as much as some suburban fucks like to call that a “cliche” it is a very real reality.
As for your police brutality quip, puh-lease. It’s not cops job to murder people unless it’s in self defense, in which case it’s not murder. It’s a totally different story if someone who is personally involved with the situation, emotionally involved decides to take revenge.
All I’m trying to say is that most, not all, people who get shot have that shit coming to them. You twisted my words to basically “don’t snitch” and kind of stereotyped me as an uneducated ghetto dweller crack baby on his way to prison. Yes or no Bro, simple question. Should we not give people what’s coming to them when the law cant.
We’ve lost faith and trust in our police and justice system because time after time we are shit on. I don’t mind the crackheads, drug dealers and criminals in my neighborhood, they leave me alone and mind their business. I’ve got more reason to be afraid of the police! Again I am not engaged in any sort of criminal activity, I just have reason to fear the police because at the end of the day because of my age and where I live they can take advantage of me.
It’s happened before and I’m sure it’ll happen again, I’ve been physically assaulted and falsely imprisoned by Police officers and I guarantee they wouldn’t whopped an old man’s ass in a suburb the way they did mine. For the record I was walking home, minding my own business and I was followed, when I asked what they wanted the words were barely out of my mouth before my face was in the pavement, and their boots were in my ribs. A friend of mine, a few years ago was handcuffed to a fence and they let their dogs bite him!! He needed stitches. His lawyer told him that he could very likely press charges or sue but advised AGAINST it because he says that people who do things like that (you know, try to actually get justice through the justice system) are usually put on a list and continually bullied and harassed by police for years to come! And I’m supposed to go to these people for help?? They are even worse than common criminals because they do it wearing a badge getting paid public money. They exploit a position of power that we’ve given them.
It’s quite clear that THEY DONT GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT ME. I wasn’t born feeling this way, ya know.
I’m not a cop hater. I have family, although not close family that are police officers, there are plenty of good cops out there, the issue is beyond good cops and bad cops, this is how they are trained to treat residents of entire communities who fit a certain description, based on the actions of a small minority of residents of said community who fit said description. We are becoming a police state.
Again, I handle my own business, if you want to call police that’s fine with me, that’s just not something I would do and I think I’ve intelligently explained my point of view. I agree with you that people shouldn’t be afraid to talk to police or distrust them but the reality is they are and have good reason to be. What’s being done about that? I don’t think anything, I hope I’m wrong.
Well your lawyer gave you shitty advice. There is no such list. Even if it were, and you were harrassed and laid more complaints, do you think it would go unnoticed? I don’t know anything about your particular case so I can’t comment.
In any criminal case you need the evidence to put someone away and sometimes it can take years and sometimes it’s just not there. Remember, there’s only one kick at the can. If the police charged the person who committed the crime and the person is acquitted due to the lack of evidence, that’s it, the person cannot be tried again. The person could then go around admitting guilt and there’s not a damn thing anyone can do due to Double Jeopardy. It sucks, it’s frustrating (for the police too) but it is the law. If you think your friend’s case isn’t being investigated do what the Gallants did, keep calling to see what the status of the case and go to the media.
BTW it is not how they are trained, however, they are people, and like you, are constantly being disrespected, getting no cooperation, etc, then yes an attitude starts, just like your attitude to them got started and is now a vicsious cycle. It is a two way street. That is for you, your community, and the police to fix. BTW have you ever attended any of the Police community open houses and ask them any of these questions or to work out better relationships with each other?
I’m done discussing this with you dude because again you have not answered my questions. You haven’t offered any viable alternative. I should just keep trusting this system that has failed us time after time. That has PROVEN to be ineffective time after time. OK, keep living in your perfect world, I’m going back to the real one. If you don’t think police target ppls who stand up to them, or who pursue legal action against them, you are dreaming. They have an Us vs. Them mentality when it comes to community relations. Anyone who they don’t like the look of is guilty until proven innocent.
Also, if you think that a cop can’t lie to a judge and get off scott free for pretty much ANY crime including murder, you are DREAMING. If you think ANY JUDGE OR JURY is going to take my word over a police officer’s, again, you are completely out of touch with reality.
I’m going to do you one better and actually answer your question. I don’t know why since you haven’t shown me the same respect.
“There is no such list. Even if it (grammar check) were, and you were harrassed (spell check) and laid more complaints, do you think it (grammar) would go unnoticed?”
Yes, motherfucker I do think that THEY (my complaints) would go unnoticed, and I think that you even asking that question shows just how out of touch you are and how little you actually know about how police operate.
I know for a fact that when you complain to the police FUCK ALL GETS DONE! All that does is put a target on your head. I mean how are we supposed to trust that system? It’s police investigating other police. They, just like the criminals they pursue, have a “no snitching” policy. They will NEVER admit that any police officer could POSSIBLY be guilty of ANY wrongdoing. Every other week there’s a story in the news about cops being acquitted for this and that. You seldom if ever hear about them being found guilty of anything even when solid evidence is there. Here are some examples.
Those riots 3 years ago in Montreal came after an officer shot an 18 year old boy in the chest, killing him in front of several witnesses. This kid looked like he weighed about a hundred pounds in his pictures. I probably could have beat his ass with one hand tied behind my back. I feel that his death could have easily been avoided. Beat him up, taze him, these are all things that a properly trained police officer should do before resorting to lethal force. This officer was suspended with pay for the life she took. That sounds a lot like a vacation to me. This is NOT justice.
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/stor…
In BC a couple years ago a kid was shot in the face by a police officer after being detained at a hockey game for holding an open beer for a friend. He was brought in, questioned WITHOUT the camera rolling and the kid gets shot in the face with NO explanation whatsoever. The officer was relocated to anther town, never missed a day’s work. The cops story, again, is the gospel truth. He claims there was a struggle and the gun just went off, or some bullshit story. His family has been fighting for answers for years to no avail. No justice.
http://www.rcmpwatch.com/inquest-into-in-c…
You sound like the typical right wing douche bag who’s only solution to our problems is to keep trying the same things over and over. To blindly trust the powers that be and the system in place which is obviously corrupt and favors those in power.
It would be obvious to you too, if you’d pull your head out of your ass and accept the possiblity that you might not be 100% right about this.
I think your attitude would drastically change if you were put in a position where your loved one was killed and nothing could be done about it.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The justice system simply does not deliver justice and people who are “human” just like the cops you mention, are going to get fed up and take matters into their own hands. I don’t necessarily think it’s right. I’m not an anarchist, I’m not saying we should just police ourselves, but I don’t blame someone for taking it upon themselves when they lose a loved one and nobody seems to give a shit.
Also, we need to hold our officers more accountable because it sends a message that you can get away with things if you’re a cop. This results in more ppls joining the force for that reason. Instead of wanting help people, they want be in a position to bully them. Harper put more cops on the street as soon as he got in office. It’s been well documented that whenever you put quantity before quality of police, corruption happens. We need better cops, not more cops.
No I’ve never gone to any police open houses. Again, I would fear that if I voiced my opinions about police I would be targeted. They scare me quite frankly, they’re the largest and most powerful gang on earth. It’s true that it’s a two way street, however they are supposed to be the professionals in the situation. They are the ones getting paid tax dollars to serve and protect me and earn my trust and they’ve failed miserably, along with the court system that doesn’t hold them accountable for anything.
Politicians won’t stand up to them either because so many voters think the way you do, that we should just let them do what they see fit. Cleaning up our streets is more important than protecting innocent people. We’ve given them too much power and not enough accountability. Police accountability is NEVER discussed come campaign time. People DREAD the backlash of any anti-police sentiments that are expressed. Come on, Bro, you’re living in a dream world. Fact: Our justice system is faulty. Fact: Vigilante justice is on the rise. Right or wrong it’s a reality and there are many valid reasons for this reality.
And what do you know about how the police operate other than what you think or believe is true. Is it perfect, hell no and I never said it was. One thing does shine through and that is the huge chip on your shoulder. I have respectfully offered you information and answered your questions, but it seems you refuse to act on any of them. You would rather bitch and rage. That is your choice.
tommyjules = survivor????
If it seems like I have a chip on my shoulder it’s because I don’t like when people dodge my questions and act as though they are honestly debating when really they are just repeating themselves. Oh, and HELLO!!?! because I and some of my law abiding friends have been victims of police brutality and because my friend’s murder has gone unsolved and the person who did it will be back on the street soon wreaking havoc if they aren’t already.
I know how they operate because I’ve lived in neighborhoods where they have a heavy presence for years. I’ve also been on the wrong end of an illegal search and unwarranted assault and imprisonment. I’ve witnessed assaults on video and in person. I’m not making this shit up.
They signed up for a job, took an oath to protect and serve us and then stop giving a fuck about anything but their own ass once they realize the job is really tough. I read the recent story about the officer in Highfield who helps the community by taking residents to food banks and grocery stores and basically does whatever needs to be done to help people. Read this next part very carefully, I’m going to go back to the article so I can quote it directly.
“Wood’s job is to help residents any way he can. He doesn’t normally make arrests or detain people; his role is simply to assist the community however he sees fit. One Wednesday a month he ferries people from the local food bank to their apartments, via a police SUV filled with grocery bags.”
This is awesome, he sounds like a great man who I would have a great deal of respect for, it’s the next part that I have issue with. (i skipped the paragraph in between that talks about the various things that officer Woods does in the community, small to large)
“he’s reluctant to take time off for vacation because there isn’t another officer who can easily take over.”
In other words in all of HRM he’s one of if not the only officer doing work like this. Let’s give the benefit of the doubt and say that we can at least confirm he’s the only officer in what is considered “HRM’s worst neighborhood” (Highfield/Pinecrest) that is doing this type of work.
There should be a special task force of officers like Woods, if police really wanted to serve and protect there would be more officers volunteering (I don’t mean volunteering as in doing it for free either) for positions of this nature. If the government really cared they’d be creating more positions like this and have more of a support system in place for officer Woods. More and more cops are signing up for all the wrong reasons: To be in a position of power, to flex their authoritative muscle and to be the law, not enforce it, and let’s not forget, to get away with committing crimes. The reason for this is they have NO reason to beleive or behave otherwise because they are NEVER held accountable.
He should not be the only officer doing things like this for residents of poor densely populated communities. He should have a whole team.
Every “slum” in HRM should have a team like this. Then maybe people would start trusting them and working with them.
Instead we have too many cops who suspect everyone of being guilty just because of where they live. Or who at least think (with good reason) that their job allows them to treat people disrespectfully. We have a situation like mine or my friends where they go around assaulting people who are no threat whatsoever, just because they can. To top it off they give the impression that crimes committed in one area are less urgent or important than crimes committed in other areas.
I don’t think it’s up to the people to extend a hand, it’s up to the police. They are at work, getting paid tax dollars. We’re just trying to live our lives. When and if a police officer approaches me respectfully I always co operate, and talk to them how I would like to be talked to. However usually they approach me as a suspect and talk down to me. This does piss me off but if I say anything about it I only make it worse for myself. It’s best to just stay out of their way.
This really has turned into a debate about police community relations, my original point was that people are human and want justice served and when we continually see that justice is not being served via the means that are in place, we are going to do something about it.
I just think talking to cops is waste of time, because I really get the impression that they don’t care about me or my problems. Then they want my co-operation when their job gets tough. So I can be labeled a rat and put myself at risk to help them solve their case and get that big promotion. If they really cared about the community there would be more officers out there like officer Woods, not these assholes who think anyone who lives in low cost housing is a criminal.
I know you disagree with me on all this Bro, but can you at least see where I’m coming from a tiny bit? When someone or a group of people continually and consistently disrespects, undermines and demonizes you, and belittles your serious issues, they aren’t the first group that comes to mind when you need help with something. It just seems like they aren’t here to help us, but to help themselves.
I did answer your questions but you don’t like the answers. That’s okay to because in some ways I agree with you, but it is the way it is. You don’t think the police want the murderer in jail? Not true, but they have to do things properly. They have a rule book, criminals do not. The police are not responsible for making laws, they have to enforce/investigate as the law allows it. Remember they get one kick at the can in court. There are no “do overs”.
Okay, first of all it costs money to hire more police officers. I have no doubt the chief would love to have 30-40 officers dedicated to the work Cst Woods does but the money isn’t there. The reality is there may be only one or two officers per community office. That is an unfortunate fact of life.
As for not being accountable for their actions, I guess you haven’t been keeping up on the news. There have been several officers, investigated, suspended, fined, reprimanded, and/or fired for various violations (Police Act, Criminal Code, etc). Are there cops out there for the wrong reasons? Yup, but there are doctors, lawyers, and just about every other profession out there that do their jobs for the wrong reasons. It’s called being human and as previously mentioned when caught they are dealt with.
As for respect, like I said it’s a two way street but both sides have made it a vicsious circle (we don’t trust them, they don’t trust us). The biggest difference is the police have to help a criminal in an emergency, they can’t go “Hell, that’s “Cocaine Joe, he can stay in that well or crushed car, or bleeding out or what have you we’ll just let him die”. That may have been put a little snarky but its true.
There’s no magic pill, no magic answer other than start talking to each other and work on the ultimate goal – to get the fucking assholes off the street.
THis quote -” Insanity is trying the same thing over & over, but expecting different results .”
Seems to fit what TJ902 is refering to.
I also had a friend, a happy go lucky guy who never in his life got in to a fight & I knew him since we went to the old Hawthorne school.
He was picked up outside a Dartmouth Tavern by the police for being drunk in public. He was brought home ,as reported by 2 witnesses around 3 o’clock in the morning by a police car.
He was seen being carried into the house, he lived in alone.
His brother found him lying on the bed . Dead the next day.
His autopsy showed he had been beaten.
But he hadn’t been beaten before the police picked him up.
Anyone else familiar enough with HRM police rules reguarding drunks put in the tank ? They don’t let you out in the middle of the night.
They don’t give you a fucking ride home !
They certainly don’t carry you .
So my friend dead from ‘Blunt force trauma’ (coroners words not mine) yet no police investigation. No media coverage.
Definately NO JUSTICE, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I know who I suspect…it sure as hell isn’t the night stand, or one of his pillows !
Since there are so many stories maybe Tim will do one of his investigative articles on it.
More, not sure where you got a coroner’s report and further with a report like that, there was no investigation. But that’s fine. Now you say that the victim was alone with the police, true, but so was the brother.
Now why didn’t the family start at the police and nag for an invesitgation? And if they got no response, why didn’t they go to the media?
You’re right I haven’t been keeping up on the news but I estimate that for every cop that’s prosecuted to the full extent of the law (I’m not talking slap on the wrist bullshit fines and suspensions) I estimate about 30 walk free when they should be jailed or at the very least fired. That’s being conservative.
The two examples I gave are just two out of hundreds of police killing innocent people. They almost always walk, if they’re even prosecuted at all! It’s a very hard fight to win and when you do, as I mentioned you are putting yourself at risk.
I could go on all day, Bro as I’m sure you’re starting to sense. You cite lack of money. I think they could be using their resources more wisely. I got pulled over a couple years ago on Gottigen and before 10 mins had gone past there were like 5 cop cars, cops standing around obviously not needed, talking to the officers. On Gottigen of all places. Wanted to bust our balls because we wouldn’t let them off the side of the road and then found a small amount of weed in my friends car, which turned up after an illegal search. The cop even admitted to me that he had no legal right to search the vehicle at that time, as I was in cuffs. I brought that up to my lawyers, but they know as well as anyone that the cop would never admit that to a judge and his word will always be taken over mine. Not saying we shouldn’t have been charged but there was no need to take up that many officer’s valuable time in such a high crime area. Like I said there are more cops on the street than there have been in previous years, there’s no shortage, they just are out walking the beat at 3 am looking for someone’s night to ruin instead of actually helping the community. Anyway this has been exhausted enough, I just think that an unfortunate fact of life is too many people never get what’s coming to them and if a murder victim’s brother or other close relative or friend decides to go avenge their loss, I can’t say I blame them too much. Police shoot/taze/assault/kill/falsely charge people all the time for much less. I can say from personal experience.
Point taken that many professionals decide on a career path for the wrong reason, the difference is they are prosecuted to the full extent of the law when they get caught doing something wrong. This means that the next guy who gets a similar idea like “I want to be a doctor so I can rape people in their sleep when I give em the laughing gas” thinks twice.
But when someone hears all these stories about less than appropriate punishments for police officer’s crimes, you’ve got to think that sends a strong message: “Be a cop, get away with stuff.” Our government allows this and I would love any suggestion on what you think can be done about it that hasn’t been tried and failed a thousand times before. I don’t wanna hear “call the police” or “write the media” police brutality has been around from the dawn of time, that’s not going to stop it. What will help to put a dent in it is a fundamental change in cop culture. A more rigorous screening process, and appropriate sentencing for officers. They’re human like the rest of us, so why should they always get the benefit of the doubt in our courts?
At least we don’t live in the US I guess, (do the names Oscar Grant or Sean Bell mean anything to you?) although it can be just bad here sometimes. Something needs to change.
I’m done Bro, it was nice arguing with you, lets compromise. The community should do more to help the police prosecute offenders. Police should do more to improve their relationships with poor communities. Can we agree on that? I’m gonna go enjoy my weekend.